Top 25 Poll – No. 9

Top four remain unchanged in this week's NAIA Division I WBB Top 25 Poll

February 20, 2012

By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications & Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oklahoma City, Union (Tenn.), Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) and Lee (Tenn.) remain as the top four in the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Monday. The Stars claimed the top spot for the fourth-consecutive week – seventh week overall – following a 2-0 week that included victories against Rogers State (Okla.), 61-50, on Feb. 16 and at John Brown (Ark.), 56-41, on Feb. 18. Oklahoma City received all 12 first-place votes and 312 points.

For the second week in a row, Union (Tenn.) took home the No. 2 spot with 302 points, while No. 3 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) (292 points) and No. 4 Lee (Tenn.) (282 points) rounded out the top four.

No. 5 Westmont (Calif.) and No. 6 Lubbock Christian each moved up one spot, while Shawnee State (Ohio) leapt two places from No. 9 to No. 7 in this week’s poll. Cumberlands (Ky.), who entered last week riding an NAIA-best 21-game win streak, dropped three positions to No. 8 following a week that saw the Patriots drop back-to-back games for the first time this season with losses at No. 17 Georgetown (Ky.), 69-57, on Feb. 16 and at Shawnee State, 71-68, on Feb. 18.

Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) fell hardest among Top 25 teams, dropping from No. 8 to No. 13 following a 78-56 loss at then-No. 18 Westminster (Utah) on Feb. 18. The drop marks the first time the Warriors have been ranked outside of the top 10 this season. With the victory, the Griffins jumped two spots up to No. 16.

No. 25 Rogers State (Okla.) is the lone newcomer to the poll this week, joining the ranks for the first time since Dec. 12, while Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), losers of two straight, dropped out from 23rd. Eleven of the 12 conferences and independents are represented this week with the Sooner Athletic Conference, Southern States Athletic Conference and Mid-South Conference all listing a week-high four programs. The Golden State Athletic Conference is next in line with three schools, while the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, TranSouth Athletic Conference and Frontier Conference each boast two representatives.

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conference and unaffiliated groups. The next Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will be announced on Feb. 27.

Notes: (All information dates back to 1999 - 2000 season) This week’s No. 1 ranking gives Oklahoma City its 42nd top mention, which ranks second all-time behind Union’s (Tenn.) 53 … Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) received its first No. 1 ranking in school history with a unanimous selection in the Jan. 23 poll … Oklahoma City, Freed-Hardeman and Azusa Pacific (Calif.) are the only schools to be placed in the No. 1 position this season … Oklahoma City, Azusa Pacific, Vanguard (Calif.) and Freed-Hardeman are the only teams that have owned the No. 1 spot in the last five years outside of Union’s run of 48-straight No. 1 appearances from Oct. 31, 2007 – March 9, 2011 … Four programs have topped the poll 10-or more total times: Union (53), Oklahoma City (42), Vanguard (27) and Southern Nazarene (Okla.) (15) …Oklahoma City, Freed-Hardeman and Union have been listed in all 149 polls since the start of the 1999-2000 season … Vanguard has appeared in 115 consecutive polls … Union and Vanguard are the only programs that have spent an entire season ranked No. 1 (Union: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11) (Vanguard: 2005-06, 2006-07).